When everything else has been abandoned, what remains?

Buondì.

I’ve been lamenting all the language-learning activities that I used to do (and perhaps am still paying for) but which I abandoned for lack of time or energy.

Roomie, our young house guest, is a big cause of so many elements of my former life falling by the wayside.

Nowadays I spend up to two hours a day ferrying her around the city: from home to kindergarten, back home again alone, then back to the kindergarten to pick her up, and home once more. Tomorrow, repeat!

She’s worth it, of course.

This morning, while I was surveying the emails that had come in overnight, which I’d need to deal with after the first hour of ‘macchina’, to the kindergarten and back, she nudged in beside my chair, curious about Friday’s blue plastic pill container, which I’d placed next to my computer where I couldn’t forget it.

“Dicina, dicina, dicina!”

Yesterday in the supermarket, I’d given in to the nagging and bought her the smallest packet of candies (caramelle) displayed at the checkout. Roomie was proudly displaying them to the checkout assistant, telling her ‘Mela, mela, mela!”

The assistant on the till behind us, a friendly mother of two, asked her colleage what the child was saying. Ours joked with her: how come you have two kids of your own but don’t speak baby language as well as I do? And I’m single?

“Mela”, of course, is baby language for “Caramella”, just as “Dicina” must therefore be an abbreviation of “Medicina”. I got more than beer and candies from the supermarket!

I turned to Roomie this morning and said “Sì, medicina!”

Pleased that I’d understood, she blew me a kiss (everyone knows that kisses make you feel better when you’ve hurt yourself, or are ill.) Then went back to playing with her Anna Elsa barbies, who seemed to be chasing each other through the plot of Frozen around my kitchen table.

My study routines have been shattered into smithereens, but not for nothing.

Nevertheless, I’ve been lamenting.

I haven’t had an online Turkish, French or Spanish lesson in over a year!

I no longer even open the newspaper subscriptions I pay for (Le Monde for French, El País for Spanish.)

And of course, there are our own materials, ebooks and so on, which I’d planned to make use of, but haven’t.

All my good intentions, all those useful study habits, all blown away.

Boom!

Hang about, though.

It’s not that I don’t do ANYTHING.

I’ve abandoned lots of fun, useful learning activities, it’s true.

But I’m still doing weekly conversation lessons in Swedish.

I still listen to half an hour of Swedish news every day, in the car. That’s thanks to Roomie, as I wouldn’t otherwise drive.

When I do the minimum thirty minutes walking, if the child’s not with me, I have the earbuds in, and so am exercising while listening to French, Spanish or Turkish radio.

Ditto for cooking. If I’m alone, I’m listening to something.

So I’m probably doing an hour a day of foreign language input, despite everything.

There, I feel better now.

Ask yourself, as I have this morning, when life happens, when everything else has been abandoned, what will remain of your language learning?

Have you created good habits that will stay with you, even when you’re too busy or too tired to do anything useful?

Especially then.

Is there stuff you do, no matter what?

Just over a year ago, I was in the local stroke unit, confined to my bed, not allowed to bend my right leg or stand up, recovering from that thing they do when they poke tubes into your brain via your groin.

For several days, going to the toilet didn’t involve any going, just a friendly nurse and recycled cardboard containers in various shapes.

The guy in the next bed was ‘messo male’, snored loudly most of the time, and didn’t regain consciousness the whole time I was there.

But I had my smartphone and wifi earphones, therefore radio, newspapers and TV in the languages I’m learning.

Studying is studying. It can be fun, it can be a bore. But you know you won’t be studying forever.

No one does.

So what will be left when, for whatever good or bad reason, you quit?

THAT’S what you need to be investing in now.

A lunedì.

P.S.

For instance, reading/listening to every FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news. Thursday’s is here.

P.P.S.

Here’s a final reminder about this week’s two new ‘easy reader’ ebooks, both of which are 25% off the usual ‘easy reader’ ebook price of £7.99, so just £5.99 each!

But only until Sunday night.

Verdi e il Va’ pensiero

An original Italian easy reader by Francesca Colombo

Verdi is going through a difficult time. He’s recently widowed, both of his children have died, and his second opera was a disaster: the public hated it! So he’s ready to quit Milan and move back home to help his father on the farm.

There’s just one snag – he’s contracted to write another show…

• .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
• .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
• 8 chapters to read and listen to
• Comprehension questions to check your understanding
• Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
• Suitable for students at intermediate level or above
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Verdi e il Va’ pensiero (B2), £5.99 | Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) | Catalog | Shop

Nabucco

An original Italian easy reader by Francesca Colombo

Giuseppe Verdi’s famous opera, here simplifed for learners of Italian (with quotes from the actual libretto!)

Why not begin with our ‘easy reader’ ebook before seeking out a recording of the opera on Youtube? It’ll help!

Or use this original Italian reading/listening practice material to add a little variety to your study program.

• .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
• .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
• 7 chapters (based on Verdi’s Act/Scene structure) to read and listen to
• Comprehension questions to check your understanding
• Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
• Suitable for students at pre-intermediate level or above
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Nabucco (A2/B1), £5.99 | Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) | Catalog | Shop

How do I access my ebooks?

When your order is ‘completed’ (normally immediately after your payment), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook, where available, cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them. There’s a space to do that on the order form – where it says Additional information, Order notes (optional). If you forget, or if you have problems downloading the .pdf, don’t worry! Email us at the address on the website and we’ll help. Also, why not check out our FAQ?

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OnlineItalianClub.com | EasyItalianNews.com | EasyReaders.org (ebooks) | NativeSpeakerTeachers.com (1-1 lessons)